QT: I hijacked a harem system and now I'm ruining every plot(GL)

Chapter 446: Eric

I look at the bright moon and sigh. As expected. Another Moonfall without my participation.

A wolf howls at the moon, leading to a response among many others. I do not join in. It is just sad—like we are announcing just how lonely we are.

I sit on the stairs leading into the house as the wolves howl. It is a sad sound. Most are unlucky bastards with no mate, but there is pain in them too—for the widowed ones.

I hear my father’s howl in them too. It is heartbreaking, really. He shifted this morning and ran into the forest. I give him space.

Someone sits next to me. I close my eyes and open them, not looking to my side, looking forward at the pack grounds.

"Redmoon looks so developed now," Gray says.

"Thanks to my sister-in-law," I say.

"Yes. I am extremely thankful to her for digitizing. It was incredibly annoying for me to record everything on paper, you know." Gray says.

I laugh slightly.

"Yes, I would not mistake you for a human when you are there with your portable computer and big phone," I say.

"It is called a laptop and tablet, for your information," he says.

We are silent. Only the sound of the howling surrounds us.

"Not going to join?" he asks.

"No. You?" I ask.

"...No," he says.

We sit in silence.

The howls continue.

I do not look at him.

He does not look at me.

"I do not think I am worthy of howling," I say.

"There is no such thing," Gray says.

"But there is." I keep my eyes fixed forward. "On Moonfall, howling means mourning. Or asking the goddess to bless you with a mate of your own."

Gray is quiet for a moment.

"Then which one would you be doing?" he asks.

I do not answer.

"Mourning," I say finally. "I would be mourning."

Gray does not respond. I feel his gaze on the side of my face.

"You have nothing to mourn," he says quietly.

"Exactly." I keep my eyes fixed forward. "After all, the goddess gave me a mate. And I spat in her face."

"Alpha, no—Eric—"

"I do not regret it."

"You should not have," he says.

"It was my choice," I say.

I raise my hand to the moon, before placing it down.

"A stupid choice."

"I have never been the smartest," I say. "Remember, you have always been the smarter one between us."

I hear him scoff.

"I was desperately worried for the future of Redmoon," he says, leaning back on the stairs. I follow and lean back.

"Father was too," I say, amused. "I remember he begged you not to leave me alone. Ever."

"I would never leave you," he says.

"I would never leave you," he says.

Silence.

"I mean," he adds on, clearing his throat, "what is an Alpha without his Beta? It will always be Eric and Gray."

...

"Yeah," I say quietly. "Eric and Gray."

I look at the moon. I shift, and accidentally brush our fingers together.

I freeze.

But I stay.

I do not pull away.

Neither does he.

The touch is light—barely there, just the barest brush of skin against skin. But it is enough. It is everything.

I would reject a hundred more mates for these tiny touches.

I would endure a thousand more Moonfalls of sitting alone on these stairs for the chance to feel his hand against mine.

Bold, I place my hand over his.

For a moment he does not move. But I can feel the moment reality sinks in.

He moves away and stands up.

"Tomorrow, Alpha," Gray says.

I look at him. I do not like looking at Gray in the eyes—they are a mirror of my own.

I wave him off.

He walks into the pack grounds.

I exhale.

A few moments later, I hear Gray’s howl.

Mourning, huh.

I close my eyes.

"That was just sad, Uncle Eric," a voice says.

My eyebrow twitches. There is my niece. Seriously, I have very good hearing, but she is impossible to keep track of—especially when it is dark. She is too silent.

"What is sad?" I ask. "Actually, why are you here? Go to bed."

She moves and sits next to me.

"How can anyone sleep with all this?" She motions to the howling.

"Do not change the topic," she says. "It was sad to look at."

I ignore her.

"Seriously, what was that between you guys? You guys should ki—"

I wrap my arm around her mouth to stop her from finishing that sentence.

I wrap my arm around her mouth to stop her from finishing that sentence.I quickly regret that, because of how sharp her teeth are. I pull away immediately.

I have been burnt. When she was a toddler, I constantly had bite marks. Hers are way sharper than the average wolf.

Makes me wonder about my sister-in-law—the full-grown version of her—and shudder. Goddess have mercy on her foes.

"You will not silence me," she says, brushing her hair back and looking at me. "It is obvious."

"There is nothing there," I say.

"Nothing my ass," she says.

"Hey. Language." She sticks out her tongue.

"The way you look at him," she continues, "like he is a juicy piece of meat grilled with spices, and smoked to perfection, with herbs like parsley, and a hint of paprika."

I stare at her as she mentally drools over the piece of steak she is thinking of.

I scoff.

"So why do you guys not get together?" Lyra asks.

"It is complicated."

"How?"

"Well, it is."

"How?"

"For starters..." I pause, searching for words. "...there are many factors involved."

She stares at me.

"Like what?"

I sigh.

"Adult stuff... you would not understand."

"Is it because you are the same gender?" she asks.Shooting a figurative arrow straight through me. Children really are honest.

She stands and places a hand on my shoulder. I raise my eyebrow at the rare moment of physical contact.

"My mother says," she says, "if it really was so wrong, I would not exist."

She taps my shoulder twice and shakes her head in disappointment.

"I cannot believe you are such a coward," she says. "When I want to climb a tree, I climb a tree. Even if I fall and hurt myself, I am still happy I climbed the tree. Had I not climbed the tree, I would never have climbed the tree."

"That does not make sense."

"Exactly." She grins, proud of herself. "So climb the tree."

She turns and walks toward the house, proud of herself for her... wisdom.

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